Album Review: Aborted - 'Global Flatline'

When the first words that ominously, albeit rather crudely greet the listener are "I'm going to fucking rape your soul," you pretty much know where the album is headed. 'Global Flatline' doesn't smack the listeners between the ears, instead it takes a sledgehammer to them, with full-length number seven coated and draped in that gore-grind persona Belgium's Aborted cultivate better than most.

Fans will immediately have some context to put this album in, with three of the thirteen tracks ('Coronary Reconstruction', 'From a Tepid Whiff' and 'Grime') featuring on 2010's typically brutal EP 'Coronary Reconstruction'.

The outlook is quite simple here. Aborted are your no frills, no need to rock the boat kind of band. They like Carcass and they're not afraid to show it. You know the songs are going to be heavy and likewise you know the themes are going to be equally malevolent. Add another trademark cover art to accompany the release and we're ready to go.

After interludes and introductions are completed, official opener 'Global Flatline' is quite solid. Some critical types observed predecessor album 'Strychnine.213' as more 'core' than 'grind', however, while containing a more traditional influence, 'Global Flatline' still shares many similar qualities to that of studio album number six. And that's not necessarily a bad thing really.

Sven de Caluwe gives the vocal chords a good bashing throughout, while the guitars remained anchored in that exclusively down-tuned and distorted range. The unpleasantly titled 'Of Scabs and Boils' picks up when the album might otherwise lag before transitioning into the beastly 'Vermicular, Obscene, Obese'.

Aborted are well-versed in bringing to life the horror imagery through sonic abrasiveness. The tail-end, much like the early stages again gives the metronome a good testing and stays in a similar range - fast, heavy and deep. The only downside though, is it creates the idea that some songs are hard to differentiate from one another. At times this is the case on 'Global Flatline'.

This album is quite offensive, but in metal speak, that is intended more as a compliment than a scathing critique. There are little surprises present throughout but the overall impression won't be one of disappointment. In some areas, perhaps harshly speaking, we as the listeners, could demand a bit more but 'Global Flatline' hits enough of its marks to justify a positive reception. Just don't play the album around your parents.

Aborted usher 2012 in with a typically trademark and consistent offering. 'Global Flatline' is a release one would expect nothing less from Aborted. It's intense, dark and overt. There will be metal albums that supersede this one throughout the course of the year, but in isolation, studio album seven is decent and doesn't feel tedious or forced in approach.

1.Omega Mortis

2.Global Flatline

3.Источник Болезни (The Origin Of Disease)

4.Coronary Reconstruction


5.Fecal Forgery


6.Of Scabs And Boils


7.Vermicular, Obscene, Obese


8.Expurgation Euphoria


9.From A Tepid Whiff


10.The Kallinger Theory

11.Our Father, Who Art Of Feces


12.Grime


13.Endstille